Isle of Man Examiner goes tabloid after 131 years

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The Isle of Man Examiner is to end more than 131 years as a broadsheet newspaper to instead adopt a tabloid format.

The Examiner, one of three titles produced by the Johnston Press-owned Isle of Man Newspapers, will switch to tabloid format on May 10.

The weekly paper has been a broadsheet since 1880 when it was founded by Samuel Keown Broadbent, a Methodist who vowed the title would ‘defend and advocate the rights and liberties of nonconformists in the Isle of Man”.

The Examiner will follow sister titles the Manx Independent, which is published on Fridays, and the Isle of Man Courier, a free paper, in switching to a tabloid format.

Switching to a compact comes after extensive market research, the paper’s publishers said, which was coordinated by Johnston Press.

Richard Butt, editor of the Examiner, said: ‘We thought long and hard before making this decision.

‘The Examiner has been a broadsheet newspaper for 131 years and we worried that its traditional readership might dislike the change.

‘In fact, our market research showed an overwhelming preference for a compact format. That went across the ages.

‘I even received a letter from a man who was 91 and a half who said he’d find a smaller format much easier to handle.

‘The message from our readers was very clear. They wanted the Examiner to change. We couldn’t ignore that.”

According to the most recent figures from the Audit Bureau of Circulations, The Examiner sold an average of 11,160 copies each week in the second half of last year.